INPhO: syllabus, mock tests and practice
Indian National Physics Olympiad — Stage 2 of India's Science Olympiad programme in Physics, conducted by HBCSE. Top scorers qualify for the Orientation-cum-Selection Camp (OCSC), from which 5 students are chosen to represent India at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). For students in Class X, XI and XII.
- Classes
- Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
- Syllabus years
- 2026-27
- Mock tests
- 13
- Downloads
- 33
About the INPhO exam
How the exam works
INPhO is the national second-stage Physics Olympiad. Entry comes through NSEP qualification and any officially permitted exemptions. HBCSE administers this stage; qualifying students may proceed to the Orientation-cum-Selection Camp and later team selection. The announced 2027 examination lasts three hours.
Who can apply
The IAPT 2026–27 portal lists Senior Science birth dates 1 July 2007–30 June 2012 and Classes 10–12, subject to the full current eligibility rules. For INO, the official brochure's nationality/residency, school and university conditions and any later amendments also apply. An age/class match alone does not guarantee eligibility.
When it happens
NSEP: 22 November 2026, 08:30–10:30 IST. INPhO: 31 January 2027, 09:00–12:00 IST. HBCSE says senior INO selection lists will be published by 15 January 2027, followed by mandatory HBCSE registration. NSE enrolment for this cycle is closed. Checked 1 November 2026.
How to register
For the NSE stage, register through an approved centre or IAPT's self-enrolment portal during the published window; the 2026 fee was ₹300 per subject. Keep personal/parent details, school details and valid identity proof ready. This cycle's entry window is closed. Shortlisted senior candidates must register separately on HBCSE's INO site after the selection list; failure to register can disqualify an otherwise selected student.
Official website, syllabus and past papers
Senior science syllabuses broadly extend through CBSE Class 12, with supporting mathematics. Astronomy emphasises physics, mathematics and elementary astronomy. Include foundational material from earlier classes.
INPhO syllabus
INPhO syllabus, All classes · 2026-27
Mechanics
- Units and Measurements: Learn SI and other systems of units, fundamental and derived quantities, accuracy, precision, errors and significant figures. Practise dimensional analysis to check formulas and find relations between quantities.
- Motion in a Straight Line: Study frames of reference, position-time and velocity-time graphs, average and instantaneous velocity, and uniformly accelerated motion. Use elementary differentiation and integration to describe non-uniform motion.
- Motion in a Plane: Work with scalars and vectors: addition, subtraction, resolution, relative velocity, and scalar and vector products. Apply them to projectile motion and uniform circular motion.
- Laws of Motion: Understand inertia, momentum, impulse and Newton's three laws, with conservation of linear momentum and equilibrium of concurrent forces. Include static and kinetic friction, and circular motion on level and banked roads.
- Work, Energy and Power: Calculate work done by constant and variable forces, kinetic energy, the work-energy theorem and power. Study potential energy, conservation of mechanical energy, vertical circular motion, and elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions.
- System of Particles and Centre of Mass: Find the centre of mass of particle systems and simple rigid bodies such as a uniform rod. Use momentum conservation and the motion of the centre of mass to solve problems.
- Rotational Motion: Study torque, angular momentum and its conservation, equilibrium of rigid bodies and the equations of rotational motion. Use moment of inertia, radius of gyration and the parallel and perpendicular axes theorems.
- Gravitation: Learn Kepler's laws, the universal law of gravitation and the variation of g with altitude and depth. Calculate gravitational potential energy, escape velocity and orbital velocity, including geostationary satellites.
Properties of Matter and Thermal Physics
- Mechanical Properties of Solids: Study stress-strain relationships, Hooke's law, Young's, bulk and shear moduli, Poisson's ratio and elastic energy stored in a deformed body.
- Fluid Pressure and Bernoulli's Theorem: Understand pressure due to a fluid column, Pascal's law, hydraulic lifts and brakes, streamline and turbulent flow, and Bernoulli's theorem with its applications.
- Viscosity and Surface Tension: Learn viscosity, Stokes' law and terminal velocity, then surface energy, surface tension, angle of contact and excess pressure. Apply these ideas to drops, bubbles and capillary rise.
- Thermal Properties of Matter: Study temperature, thermal expansion, specific heat capacity, calorimetry and change of state with latent heat. Cover conduction, convection, radiation, thermal conductivity, black-body radiation, Wien's law, Stefan's law and the greenhouse effect.
- Thermodynamics: Learn thermal equilibrium, the zeroth law, heat, work and internal energy, and the first law with isothermal and adiabatic processes. Understand the second law, reversible and irreversible processes, heat engines and refrigerators.
- Kinetic Theory of Gases: Use the equation of state of a perfect gas and the kinetic theory: pressure, temperature, rms speed, degrees of freedom and equipartition of energy. Link these to specific heats, mean free path and Avogadro's number.
Oscillations and Waves
- Oscillations and Simple Harmonic Motion: Study periodic motion, simple harmonic motion, phase, the loaded spring and the simple pendulum. Understand energy in SHM, and free, forced and damped oscillations with resonance.
- Waves: Learn transverse and longitudinal waves, the displacement equation of a progressive wave, superposition and reflection. Study standing waves in strings and organ pipes, harmonics, beats and the Doppler effect.
Electricity and Magnetism
- Electric Charges and Fields: Use Coulomb's law, superposition, electric field lines and dipoles. Apply electric flux and Gauss's theorem to a long wire, an infinite sheet and a charged spherical shell.
- Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance: Study electric potential, equipotential surfaces and the potential energy of charge systems and dipoles. Learn conductors, dielectrics, capacitors in series and parallel, parallel plate capacitance and stored energy.
- Current Electricity: Study drift velocity, Ohm's law, resistivity, resistor combinations and temperature dependence of resistance. Solve circuits with cells, internal resistance, Kirchhoff's laws, Wheatstone and metre bridges and the potentiometer.
- Moving Charges and Magnetism: Learn the Biot-Savart law, Ampere's law, solenoids, and the force on moving charges and current-carrying conductors. Study the cyclotron, torque on a current loop and the moving coil galvanometer with its conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.
- Magnetism and Matter: Treat a current loop and a bar magnet as magnetic dipoles, with fields, torque and field lines. Study the earth's magnetic field, and para-, dia- and ferromagnetic materials.
- Electromagnetic Induction: Understand Faraday's laws, Lenz's law, induced EMF, eddy currents, and self and mutual induction.
- Alternating Current: Study peak and rms values, reactance, impedance, LCR series circuits, resonance, power and power factor. Learn how the AC generator and transformer work.
- Electromagnetic Waves: Learn displacement current and the transverse nature of electromagnetic waves. Cover the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays and their uses.
Optics
- Ray Optics and Optical Instruments: Study reflection, spherical mirrors, refraction, total internal reflection, lenses, the lensmaker's formula, power and prisms. Include scattering of light and the working of microscopes and telescopes.
- Wave Optics: Learn wavefronts, Huygens' principle, interference, Young's double slit experiment and fringe width. Study single-slit diffraction, resolving power, polarisation, Brewster's law and Polaroids.
Modern Physics
- Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter: Study the photoelectric effect, Einstein's photoelectric equation and the particle nature of light. Learn matter waves and the de Broglie relation.
- Atoms: Study the alpha-particle scattering experiment, Rutherford's model and Bohr's model, with energy levels and the hydrogen spectrum.
- Nuclei: Learn nuclear composition and size, radioactivity, decay law, half-life and mean life. Study mass-energy relation, binding energy per nucleon, fission and fusion.
- Semiconductor Electronics: Understand energy bands in conductors, semiconductors and insulators. Study the p-n junction diode, its I-V characteristics, rectification, and LED, photodiode, solar cell and Zener diode.
Mathematics for Physics
- Algebra and Trigonometry for Physics: Revise the algebra, functions, logarithms and trigonometry up to Class 12 that Olympiad physics problems rely on. Practise approximations and using identities to simplify results.
- Calculus and Vectors for Physics: Revise differentiation, integration, vectors and coordinate geometry up to Class 12. Practise applying them to rates of change, areas under graphs and forces.
Rounds and levels
- 2026-27: Practice for INPhO 2026-27 (exam date: 31 January 2027).
- Previous-year papers: Past INPhO question papers.
More exams on SkillStar
INPhO: questions parents ask
- Which classes can prepare for INPhO on SkillStar?
- INPhO practice on SkillStar is arranged for Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12. Each child sees what's right for their own class.
- What is in the INPhO syllabus for 2026-27?
- 32 topics in Mechanics, Properties of Matter and Thermal Physics, Oscillations and Waves, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, Modern Physics and Mathematics for Physics, laid out subject by subject on this page. On SkillStar your child can tick off each topic as they learn it.
- Are there INPhO mock tests on SkillStar?
- Yes, 13 mock tests. Each one is marked the moment your child finishes, with a question-by-question review, and can be taken again as often as they like.
- Can I download INPhO papers?
- Yes. The INPhO Downloads tab on SkillStar has 33 files for this exam.
- How does my child start INPhO practice?
- Sign up free as a parent, add your child with their class, and pick INPhO from the exam list. Every new family gets welcome credits, lots of content costs nothing, and anything paid shows its price in credits before you decide.
- Is SkillStar the official INPhO website?
- No. SkillStar is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organisers of these exams. Exam names belong to their respective owners. Check dates, fees and registration with the INPhO organisers.
SkillStar is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organisers of these exams. Exam names belong to their respective owners.